A protein@metal-organic framework nanocomposite for pH-triggered anticancer drug delivery

• Published in: Dalton transactions : an international journal of inorganic chemistry Vol. 47; no. 3; pp. 1223 - 1228
• Main Authors: Liang, Zuozhong, Yang, Zhiyuan, Yuan, Haitao, Wang, Chun, Qi, Jing, Liu, Kaiqiang, Cao, Rui, Zheng, Haoquan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 2018
• Subjects: Biocompatibility; Doxorubicin; Drug delivery systems; Metal-organic frameworks; Nanocomposites; Proteins; Serum albumin
• ISSN: 1477-9226; 1477-9234; 1477-9234
• DOI: 10.1039/c8dt01789a

We have synthesized a core@shell nanocomposite using biocompatible bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the core and a pH-sensitive metal-organic framework (MOF) as the shell. Doxorubicin (DOX)/BSA nanoparticles as cores have been prepared. A zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) layer has been coated on the outer surface of the DOX/BSA core. The ZIF layer acts as a capsule for the safe storage of DOX under physiological conditions. An efficient pH-responsive drug delivery system using a BSA/DOX@ZIF, in which the drug is not released in PBS at pH 7.4 but is released at low pH (5.0-6.0), has been constructed. Compared to the pure ZIF, a better biocompatibility has been obtained using the BSA/DOX@ZIF. The BSA/DOX@ZIF shows a much higher efficacy than free DOX against the breast cancer cell line MCF-7. The positive charges on the outer surface of the BSA/DOX@ZIF also improve its cellular uptake. We have synthesized a core@shell nanocomposite using biocompatible bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the core and a pH-sensitive metal-organic framework (MOF) as the shell.